5 Best Performing Arts in Moab and Southeastern Utah, Utah

Every Memorial Day weekend, artists from across the West gather at Moab's Swanny City Park to show their wares, including pottery, photography, and paintings. This fun, free festival is small enough to be manageable and sells a variety of affordable artworks and crafts. Expect lots of food, plus activities for the kids. Most days have live music and local theater on two stages.

Every September you can see traditional Ute ceremonial dances at the Bear Dance. The dance takes place during a four-day celebration held Labor Day weekend on the Ute Reservation. The Ute Mountain powwow and dance represent the end of summer and the impending hibernation of the bear.

Colorful hot-air balloons—some from as far away as England—take to the skies over the Valley of the Gods and the town of Bluff during this mid-January festival, held during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. Attend the "glow in" if weather allows, and see balloons illuminated against the night sky by the flame from the propane heaters that fill them with hot air. Bring warm clothing and expect crisp, clear weather.

If you find yourself at Goulding's Lodge in the evening, you can take in films that explore the natural natural beauty of the area, followed by a nightly John Wayne movie. 

This unique event brings together the diverse Moab community on the last Saturday of October. This festival may not be like any other you've attended; here, people from all over the Southwest build contraptions—catapults, trebuchets, and slingshots—that send pumpkins across the sky. Live music, about 25 vendor booths, and typically beautiful weather make this a popular event. Proceeds go toward the Youth Garden Project.